


The Newlywed Game

by car_yl



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26379670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/car_yl/pseuds/car_yl
Summary: Harry and Karrin and others play the game at a gathering.
Relationships: Harry Dresden/Karrin Murphy, Justine/Thomas Raith, Rick Broughton/Lisa Broughton
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	The Newlywed Game

**Author's Note:**

> More from Rick's POV. Don't know why he's doing all the talking right now but, hey, gotta go with the muse.

I knew we’d see Karrin and Dresden at this ‘family gathering’ and I wasn’t looking forward to it. This feud between Karrin and Lisa is never ending. The only place the hatchet will get buried is in someone’s back. Not only is that going to make both Lisa and Karrin edgy but he’s bad for my ego. When he was a broke, shady PI I’d felt superior to him. I’d felt I had more power and prestige than him, was well, better than him. But lately- well lately he just seems to be better than me at everything and Marion, my mother-in-law, really Likes him. I don’t know why! Maybe he IS ‘good’ for Karrin- I don’t see it but Marion says it’s so. In the Murphy clan that’s like truth from a burning bush.

Great! Just great! This gathering is some kind of surprise engagement party for Dresden and Karrin. Engaged!! How? Why? Never gonna happen.  
Marriage? No way. Only if it’s a shotgun wedding, so to speak. And even then Dresden will have to drag her to the altar kicking and screaming. Yeah, he’ll have to drag her. Her ego couldn’t stand a third strike.

It has been really interesting getting a peek at Dresden’s friends. Apparently he’s got contacts in Europe, there were at least 3 congratulatory telegrams from there. The friends in attendance run quite the gamut; an ME, a psychologist, a contractor, his wife and 5 of their 7 kids - turns out these are Maggie’s godparents / foster parents and long time friends of Dresden. All the speeches and telegrams are brief and say basically the same thing, “It’s about time!” Even the telegram from John Marcone. 

Harry scowled when that one was read. Yeah, Marcone’s given a lot of money to the charity Karrin works for/ with now. But why he’d take notice of Karrin or Dresden now that she’s not on the force… 

And the most curious attendees? Thomas Raith and his shapely blonde companion. There were rumors, years ago now, that he and Dresden were a ‘couple’. But who would invite their ex-lover to their engagement party? Neither man seems to be uncomfortable or to find it strange for him to be here. All Harry’s other friends seem unperturbed by the man’s presence but all the Murphy women are practically drooling over the guy. He looks like he stepped off the cover of one of Lisa’s romance novels.

And then the REAL fun started. Somebody suggested we separate the adults into couples and play the Newlywed game. The Carpenters, our hosts, as the longest married couple made up the questions. Marion is the EmCee and the Carpenter children are the judges. The couples: Raith and his blonde, Harry and Karrin, me and Lisa, Karrin’s brothers and their wives. The Borden’s and the ME bowed out. Said too many couples would make the game last too long. Yeah, right. Wish Lisa had let me out of this.

So Amanda, the oldest Carpenter daughter still living at home, took the girls inside to get their answers and Matthew, the oldest Carpenter son still living at home, took down the guys answers on pieces of card stock. Four questions for the guys, four for the girls.

What’s your spouse’s favorite color? Both guys and girls get this question. Easy enough. Most of us who had been married for more than a minute got that right. Karrin? Nope.

“Karrin, what’s Harry’s favorite color?”

“Um well, A) he’s not yet my spouse. And B) it’s never come up in conversation. But he likes to tease me about pink.”

“And Harry said….” The card read ‘yellow’.

“Yellow? Really Harry? Why?” Karrin looked puzzled.

Harry blushed. “It’s the color of the first dress I ever saw you wear. It’s why I won’t let you throw out that dress.”

And all the wives and daughters sighed like they’d choreographed it. I don’t know if that’s what prompted Karrin to kiss him just then,but she did. Smack on the lips and all kids under 14 said, “Eww”. To which Karrin replied, “Get used to it kids. There’s more where that came from.” Dresden got even redder. But he also knew Karrin’s favorite color.

“When did you and your spouse/ fiance’ first meet?” Mixed success. Lisa was not happy with me. I mean, when did I first meet Karrin’s little sister? Long before I thought of her as dateable. It didn’t help me that Harry and Karrin were in sync. Neither of them remembered the exact date but the wording was exact. Harry’s card read and Karrin answered, “The Faith Astor Case”. 

“What was your spouse/ fiance’s first car?” Karrin was the only female to get it right. “Are you kidding? It was the Beetle and it started out powder blue.” she announced. Harry had no idea what her first car was. 

“What is the name of your guy’s first girlfriend?” Yeah, Karrin got that one right. Lisa didn’t. (Sigh) 

And then the bombshell:

“How many relationships with the opposite sex has your guy had before you?” That question caused quite a bit of consternation among the males, even Harry. Apparently there had to be some clarifications about one night stands and what constituted a relationship among the ladies, except for Karrin. We were told by Amanda that Karrin had her answer in just as long as it took to write down a single digit. Single digit!? And the number was 3! All us guys looked at Dresden like he was some different species. He was almost purple he was blushing so hard. “I had my reasons” and “I don’t do casual” he sputtered. But while Dresden was amusing he wasn’t the bombshell. It was Raith!

Justine, that’s the blonde, had written down “too many to count” and Raith’s answer had been delivered with a wry smirk, “I quit counting after the first hundred”. The judges called it a match. It’s a good thing they weren’t the last to answer that question because it took a full 5 seconds for the stunned silence to end. And oddly enough Raith and Justine WON the game.


End file.
